Do you remember the useful sentences like “It’s a piece of cake” or “It serves you right” in English learning? They carry more 1 than the words themselves. In Chinese culture, we also have lots of similar useful expressions like “drinking ink (墨水)” and “An inch (寸) of time is worth an inch of gold”.
“Drinking ink” is a common expression to show that a person is 2. Is there anyone who really drinks ink? It could be true in Chinese history. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, those who 3 very badly in the exam would be punished by drinking one liter (升) of ink. Even if they were found to have poor handwriting or make up something terrible, they would be taken into a special room to drink ink. The rule was accepted by the following dynasties. Nowadays, this expression is 4 used to describe people’s ways of receiving education or their level of education. For example, “drinking foreign ink” means one has studied overseas. “Drinking little ink” means a 5 level of education.
“An inch of time is worth an inch of gold” means that an inch of time has the same 6 as an inch of gold. It is also the first half of a saying “An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but an inch of time cannot be bought 7 an inch of gold”. In ancient times, time was measured (测量) by inch because people used the sundial as a time-keeping tool. It is made of a flat and 8 plate on which length of gnomon’s shadow changes from long to short and short to long. This is 9 the sundial tells time.
Language cannot be separated from culture. Language learning can help us 10 understand the cultures behind the countries and communicate more with the people from different countries.
选项
1. A. suggestions B. chances C. meanings D. promises
2. A. expected B. educated C. remembered D. missed
3. A. performed B. planned C. guessed D. prepared
4. A. quietly B. quickly C. widely D. suddenly
5. A. low B. basic C. normal D. perfect
6. A. size B. value C. standard D. shape
7. A. for B. from C. in D. with
8. A. long B. round C. square D. deep
9. A. where B. when C. why D. how
10. A. harder B. less C. better D. worse
一、体裁、结构与主旨
1. 体裁：说明文（科普类），通过介绍中文俗语“喝墨水”和“一寸光阴一寸金”的起源、含义及用法，阐释语言与文化的关联。
2. 结构：总分总结构
◦ 开头：以英语习语引出中文特色表达，提出“语言承载超出字面的意义”的观点。
◦ 主体：分两段分别讲解“喝墨水”和“一寸光阴一寸金”的历史渊源、现代用法及相关文化背景。
◦ 结尾：总结语言与文化不可分割，点明语言学习对理解文化、跨文化交流的作用。
3. 主旨：通过解析“喝墨水”“一寸光阴一寸金”两个中文俗语，说明语言背后蕴含深厚的文化内涵，语言学习是了解文化、实现跨文化沟通的重要途径。
二、词汇分析
1. 核心词汇
名词：expression（表达；俗语）、culture（文化）、punishment（惩罚，文中用punished）、education（教育）、sundial（日晷）、shadow（影子）
动词：carry（承载）、describe（描述）、measure（测量）、separate（分离）、communicate（交流）
形容词/副词：useful（有用的）、widely（广泛地）、ancient（古代的）
2. 短语搭配
serve you right（活该）、a piece of cake（小菜一碟）、drink ink（喝墨水，喻指受教育）、be worth（值得）、be separated from（与……分离）
长难句分析
During the Northern Qi Dynasty, those who performed very badly in the exam would be punished by drinking one liter of ink.
结构：主句为those would be punished by drinking one liter of ink；who performed very badly in the exam是定语从句，修饰those；During the Northern Qi Dynasty是时间状语。
翻译：北齐时期，考试表现极差的人会被处以喝一升墨水的惩罚。
It is made of a flat and round plate on which length of gnomon’s shadow changes from long to short and short to long.
结构：主句为It is made of a flat and round plate；on which length of gnomon’s shadow changes from long to short and short to long是定语从句，修饰plate，on which相当于on the plate。
翻译：它由一块扁平的圆形盘体构成，晷针的影子长度会在盘面上由长变短、再由短变长。
Language learning can help us better understand the cultures behind the countries and communicate more with the people from different countries.
结构：help sb. do sth.（帮助某人做某事）是固定搭配，句中better修饰understand，more修饰communicate，两个并列动词understand和communicate作宾语补足语。
翻译：语言学习能帮助我们更好地理解各国背后的文化，也能让我们与异国人士有更多交流。
答案解析：
第1题：选C（meanings）。前文提英语习语的含义超出字面，此处对应中文表达也“承载更多意义”，meanings（意义）符合语境。
第2题：选B（educated）。后文讲“喝墨水”与教育相关，该短语用于表示人“受过教育”，educated（受过教育的）契合文意。
第3题：选A（performed）。perform badly in the exam是固定搭配，指“考试表现糟糕”，performed（表现）符合逻辑。
第4题：选C（widely）。widely used表示“被广泛使用”，符合“如今该表达被广泛用于描述教育相关情况”的语境。
第5题：选A（low）。drinking little ink字面是“喝的墨水少”，喻指“教育水平低”，low（低的）符合语义。
第6题：选B（value）。the same value as表示“与……价值相同”，对应“一寸光阴一寸金”的“价值”含义。
第7题：选D（with）。be bought with表示“用……购买”，指“时间无法用金子买到”，with（用）是正确介词。
第8题：选B（round）。结合日晷的外形特征，盘体是“圆形的”，round（圆形的）符合常识。
第9题：选D（how）。此处解释日晷“如何”计时，how（怎样）引导表语从句，说明方式。
第10题：选C（better）。help us better understand表示“帮助我们更好地理解”，符合“语言学习助力文化理解”的主旨。
参考译文：
你还记得英语学习中“It’s a piece of cake（小菜一碟）”或“It serves you right（你活该）”这类实用句子吗？它们承载的意义远不止单词本身。在中国文化中，我们也有许多类似的实用表达，比如“喝墨水”和“一寸光阴一寸金”。
“喝墨水”是一个常用表达，用来表示一个人受过教育。真的有人会喝墨水吗？在中国历史上这或许是真的。北齐时期，考试表现极差的人会被处以喝一升墨水的惩罚。即便被发现书写潦草或编造离谱内容，他们也会被带到专门的房间喝墨水。这一规定被后世朝代沿用。如今，这个表达被广泛用于描述人们接受教育的方式或其受教育水平。例如，“喝洋墨水”意味着一个人曾出国留学，“喝的墨水少”则表示受教育水平低。
“一寸光阴一寸金”的意思是，一寸光阴和一寸金子有着相同的价值。它也是俗语“一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴”的前半句。在古代，人们用“寸”来计量时间，因为当时人们使用日晷作为计时工具。日晷由一块扁平的圆形盘体构成，晷针的影子长度会在盘面上由长变短、再由短变长。这就是日晷的计时原理。
语言与文化密不可分。语言学习能帮助我们更好地理解各国背后的文化，也能让我们与异国人士有更多交流。
